Chapter
Fifteen
Trixie couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She’d received a random text from an unknown number that had vanished soon after she read it. But she’d read it and she couldn’t get the words out of her mind.
Unknown: He says to tell you he loves you.
It couldn’t be from anyone other than Paul.
She wanted to reply back to tell him she loved him too, but the message was gone and she hadn’t memorized the number. For all she knew that number had only existed to send her that one text message. First the cookies and now a text. What other gifts was her sweet man planning on sending her?
A shout of “Oh shit!” drew her attention to the employee breakroom. She walked in just as several hollers of “Go, go, go!”, “Damn!”, and “Holy shit, how fast is he going?” came from the crowd of employees standing around the television on the wall.
Trixie couldn’t remember the last time she’d spotted the employees actively watching the television. Occasionally, it was flipped to the weather channel or the news, but for the most part it remained on a random channel while muted with the closed captioning on. To find five employees huddled around it now was odd to say the least.
“What’s going on?” she asked, pulling a rag out of her back pocket to wipe her hands. She’d been on her way upstairs to the bathroom. She wasn’t exactly clean.
“Boss!” Gary waved her over. “Check this out. I’ve never even seen a motorcycle like this. Look at it go!”
She edged her way forward, Trinity moving to stand in front of Gary rather than standing beside him. Trixie’s eyes landed on the television.
The widescreen showed a local news station spokesperson who sat in a helicopter reporting on a high-speed chase below involving a stolen prototype vehicle and state police. The chase was approaching ten minutes and had reached speeds of up to one hundred and seventy miles per hour on the freeway.
“…move over. Do not attempt to block the motorcycle. The police are setting up additional roadblocks and are encouraging citizens to remain off the roads. We do not yet have an identification on the driver of the stolen vehicle, but we are being told its new technology makes it a formidable opponent against the polices’ older models…”
Trixie didn’t hesitate. Her insides were screaming at her. She knew exactly who was driving that damn motorcycle. It was the way he drove. Despite the dozens of police cars after him and the numerous obstacles in his path, he was confident, smooth, and cocky. She just knew. She just had no clue why. And that text… It hadn’t been random.
Trixie rushed into the hall and ran up her stairs. She pulled her phone out of the pocket of her coveralls. Lee had given her a number to contact him in case of emergency only. Well, this qualified in her book, even if it didn’t in his.
His voice was rushed and frustrated. “Not now, abeja.”
“What the hell is going on?” She entered her apartment and turned on her television. It didn’t matter what channel. All the local news stations were covering the car chase. “Is this some sort of set up?”
“I can’t talk—”
“Don’t tell me you can’t talk about it!” she cried out, flinching. The motorcycle just narrowly missed being pancaked between two eighteen wheelers. “Why are the state police after him?” Lee was a city police detective. Cayden’s deal as a criminal informant was with Lee. She didn’t know what it meant for him if he was caught by a state trooper versus a local police officer.
There was silence, and then Lee said, “They apparently got an anonymous tip about the theft.”
“Can’t you call them off?” Her eyes never left the screen. She was tracking his movements like he was plotting out a map just for her. “The bridge,” she murmured.
“We can’t call them off or Carver will know it’s a set up—”
“He’s headed to the bridge!” she shouted at her brother. “Why is he going there when they’re lifting the drawbridge?”
“Shit,” she heard Lee curse. Then he shouted something at someone else away from the phone. “I have to go—”
“You bring him back to me, Lee. I don’t care if Carver gets away. You bring him back to me!”
Lee hung up without offering her such a promise. Trixie clung to her necklace like it was her lifeline to the drama outside, her eyes fixated on the television. She needed him to be okay. But why the bridge? The motorcycle was fast, but was it that fast? He must be planning on jumping as the draw was being opened. The police cars certainly wouldn’t be able to follow.
The news helicopter turned as the shiny silver motorcycle did. As Trixie had anticipated, he was heading straight for the opening drawbridge. The motorcycle had a straight line up. The police had set up barricades, but they were only wooden sawhorses. Likely because the bridge behind them was opening. They thought that was a deterrent, but they didn’t know Cayden. Not like she did.
The prototype motorcycle smashed through the barricades, splintering them and squeezed perfectly between two police cars. She could see the bridge opening. It had some good height to it. God, could he make that?
The motorcycle suddenly veered, the tires turning awkwardly against the clamps of the bridge. It fishtailed. For a split second, Trixie thought the move had been intentional because the motorcycle was now facing away from the bridge. Was he trying to head back the way he came? Had he realized he couldn’t make the jump?
But then the rear tires collided with the sidewalk and the motorcycle fell, skidding to the edge of the bridge. Sparks flew as something large toppled over the side of the bridge. For a moment, the motorcycle teetered like a child’s play toy on the edge of the bridge.
Then it slid, scraping along its side, down into the watery depths of the gulf.
Trixie didn’t pause. She couldn’t even remember making the decision to go. All of a sudden, she was in her car. She wasn’t sure how she got herself there safely. Her body was moving on its own and she was just along for the ride. The only thing her mind kept thinking was the cadence he’s not dead, he can’t be dead, he’s not dead… Her heart even beat to the tempo of her inner mantra.
The fifth precinct was a madhouse. There were cops running everywhere. No one was even manning the tinsel-decorated front desk. Cops dodged around her, ignoring her or glancing away so she couldn’t catch their attention. Didn’t matter. None of them were who she was looking for.
But the station was so big, and she had no idea if Lee was even here. She hadn’t asked earlier where he’d been. She was still clutching her necklace. Had she driven with it in her hand? Maybe she should call Lee.
Trixie had watched enough cop shows to know she was standing in a bullpen. She never understood why cops called it that. It was a large room full of desks, not cows.
A tall man in his early forties exited an office next to her shouting, “Tell them I don’t care what it costs! I don’t care what it takes. And someone get me some goddamn answers from those divers!”
As the man stepped back into his office, Trixie caught sight of his name stamped on the glass door. Captain Lucas Holloway. Her heart leaped. Lee’s note had mentioned a Holloway.
She rushed after him. The man’s brows furrowed at her approach. Mind, he probably wasn’t used to young Latina women dressed in coveralls and covered in motor grease cornering him in his own office.
“My name is Beatriz Romero,” she said before he could order someone to have her removed.
The man’s shoulders stiffened, and as she’d hoped, his eyes lit in recognition. “Shit. Shut the door, Ms. Romero.”
She did as she was told but didn’t take the seat he offered. She was too jumpy to possibly sit still. “Is he alive?”
Holloway ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “I don’t know. We have divers in the water now to find out.”
“What happened?” she demanded. “And don’t give me some bullshit about police procedure or keeping me safe. I just watched the love of my life crash a prototype on the news and I don’t know if he’s alive to come home to me. Talk.”
Holloway, though, was not a man easily intimidated. “Lee wasn’t kidding about you. You’ve got some serious balls on you, Ms. Romero.”
“Trixie,” she snapped. “We can discuss what genitalia I do or do not have later. Tell me about Cayden.”
He studied her carefully for a moment. He was still standing behind his desk. Maybe he felt he couldn’t sit unless she did.
“He stole the motorcycle,” Holloway finally admitted. “I can’t tell you all the details, but it wasn’t the real prototype. He was supposed to take it to Carver and where he believed Carver was stashing the drugs he hadn’t yet moved.”
Sounded simple enough. Cayden stole the bait, bait leads Carver to the trap. Obviously, though, it hadn’t been that simple. “What went wrong?”
He shook his head. “Not sure. Somehow the state police got involved. Cayden made the decision to keep going. He said he could get away. He still wanted to get the motorcycle to Carver. He was wired, so we were able to communicate with him. Then suddenly he cut out. We lost the connection to the bug we had on him too. We couldn’t hear him or trace him. We were blind, and then…” His voice trailed off. “Well, you saw.”
She forced herself not to remember what she’d seen. Once was one time too many. “Did Carver call in the tip? Did he know that Cayden was working with you?”
“It’s always a possibility.” From the look in the man’s eyes, the police captain thought it was more than a possibility. Trixie did too. Why call the state police over local?
“Where’s Lee?” She needed to know her brother was safe too. She needed to know both of them were safe.
“Out looking for Cayden.”
A shudder ran through Trixie at his name and she felt a crack in her control. Saying his name was fine, but hearing it from someone else… He’s not dead, he’s not dead…
“You served with Lee, right? You’re a former Marine?”
“Once a Marine, always a Marine, Ms. Romero,” the captain confirmed. “We served two tours together. We were in different units, but we knew each other very well.”
She could feel her heart hammering in her chest. “I don’t know how all this police shit works. You people have royally fucked up my life for over two years. First with Marco and Lindsey, and then Lee apparently becoming a cop but not even telling his family, and now with you stealing Cayden from me for Lee’s stupid crusade. I’m so sick of it. I tried to be strong. I tried to be supportive. But all of this is bullshit.”
“I understand—”
“You don’t understand how I feel,” she interrupted. She knew she was being disrespectful, but she couldn’t find it in her to care. “Why would you allow Lee to go after a crook like Massey? And don’t tell me that you don’t know he’s your anonymous source or that Lee is responsible for what he does on his own time.”
Trixie crossed her arms over her chest. She hoped it looked like it was in anger but, in truth, she was just trying to hold herself together. Literally.
Holloway, though, paled. Not the response Trixie had been anticipating. “Because Massey is, as you so aptly named him, a crook. He needs to be stopped and no one has been able to do it. When Lee came to me after Marco’s funeral, I saw my first real opportunity to take that first-rate bastard down. Lee was an unknown, meaning he never walked a beat, but he is a Marine. He is smart and he is trained, perfect to go under.”
“So you gambled Lee’s life to further your career?” she spewed out the words like they were vile. She had never wanted to hit someone so hard in her life.
“No,” Holloway snapped so immediately that she believed him. “I gambled my career on Lee’s success.” He squared his shoulders, reminding her very much of Lee. “Your brother is one of the finest men I know, Ms. Romero. He took a bullet for me on my last tour. Did you know that? I wouldn’t be here today if not for him. I wouldn’t have been able to return to my wife and children if he hadn’t done what he did.
“So when Lee came to me after Marco’s funeral and told me he was going after Massey with or without my help… Well, I jumped on the chance. I knew it was dangerous. I knew it was selfish. I knew I could be throwing away my career and pension, but I had to take the chance. Massey needs to be brought down. Too many lives have been ruined by that man’s greed and cruelty. And Lee? He doesn’t fail. Did you know that about your brother, Ms. Romero? I’ve never known a finer man or soldier. And even after everything he’s been through, his moral compass still points north.”
Trixie was still trying to figure out how to respond to that when Holloway’s phone rang. He picked it up. Her ears perked up at, “Don’t bother, she’s here with me now.” The only person she could think of that Holloway would talk about her to was Lee.
She approached the desk, needing to know. Not needing to know. What if… No, don’t think it. He can’t be. She needed him to be alive. She gripped the coin hanging from her neck tighter. Please… Please be alive…
Then Holloway hung up the phone. He took a deep breath before saying, “I don’t know if it’s good news or not, but they didn’t find a body in the water, and they say there’s no sign of him at the crash site.”
Trixie hung her head, her hair falling from her messy bun. It wasn’t relief she felt, but at least it wasn’t grief. “What now?”
He rounded the desk. “Now I’m going to ask you to remain here. I’m going to go help my men and do what I can to find yours. There’s a couch behind you, make yourself comfortable. I’ll send one of the rookies to check in on you. Do you want any coffee, water?”
She shook her head. The only thing she wanted was Cayden.
Holloway guided her over to the couch and then helped her sit. He seemed to realize she wasn’t capable of doing it herself. This numbness was different. He wasn’t dead, but he also might not be alive… She needed to know.
“Captain?” He was reaching for the door when she spoke and stopped to look at her. “Thank you,” she said. “For being honest with me.”
He gave a small sigh before walking back over to where she sat on the couch. He knelt in front of her. “When Lee came to me with the idea of using Cayden to get to Carver, I rejected it. He was a criminal. Regardless of serving his term or his relationship with you, it was what he was. It was Lee who got me to see that Cayden was just a man with a certain skillset that we consider to be illegal. It wasn’t that long ago that he and I were the ones in a country where our actions were the ones deemed…less reputable, despite the flag we wore on our shoulder. I am sorry for any pain our operation has cost you. I do hope Cayden’s alive. I’ve gotten to know your young man over these past two months, and I have to say, as a happily married, completely heterosexual man, even I can see the appeal in your man.”
A laugh escaped her, which was likely the captain’s goal. He handed her a tissue, squeezed her knees, and then left.
Please, Cayden, she prayed as she rested back on the couch. She needed a Christmas miracle now more than ever. Please be alive.
As soon as the high-speed chase turned into a diving mission, a crowd of bystanders grew thick on either side of the drawbridge. The police barricades forced them back so the emergency vehicles could squeeze through. A large boat with a crane slowly drew closer to the site from upriver. Many had their phones out and were recording or taking pictures.
Cayden snagged a baseball cap from the back pocket of a younger man’s jeans, a cell phone from the outside jacket pocket of an older man, and a lollipop from a lady’s purse. His mouth was dry, so the lollipop was more of a personal choice than necessity. His cut was now balled up and left under the corner of a bench on the sidewalk. The baseball cap was placed over his green spikes. He walked with a purpose, holding his head high.
Sulking or sneaking around could draw more attention than if he changed his appearance slightly and moved like he had somewhere more important to be. He only had a few precious seconds with the phone, so he made them count. He entered the emergency screen and dialed the only number he knew would answer.
He couldn’t say what went wrong exactly. He’d been in communication long enough with Lee to know that the state police had received an anonymous tip regarding the theft.
The state police had been a setup, that much was sure. If Carver knew about Cayden’s deal as a criminal informant, Lee believed Carver would call them to create havoc. Cayden saw two flaws with that theory. First, Carver wasn’t the sneak-behind-your-back sort. If he believed Cayden betrayed him, he was the shoot-first-and-ask-later sort. Calling the police wasn’t Carver’s style. And second, Carver really wanted the Raiju. As soon as Cayden had figured out what motorcycle Carver had been after, he’d known that. Even if Carver believed Cayden had betrayed him, he would have waited until he had the Raiju before turning on Cayden. He needed Cayden’s talent more than he needed Cayden’s death or incarceration.
So the question remained: how had the state police known Cayden was going after the Raiju? Who would have called in that tip?
“I am so happy you are alive! Do not scare me like that again!”
A smile threatened to break through his black mood. “Love you too, man. What’s happening?”
The excitement didn’t drop from Paul’s voice as he started to break down the situation. “Lee’s on his way to the crash site. As soon as we lost communication, he started to you. The others are still converged outside the radius of the rendezvous. They didn’t want to move unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, we risk losing Carver. We’ve been able to keep your name out of the press, but the state troopers now know it, so keep your head down.”
“Trix?”
“She saw everything on the television. She’s driving down to the fifth right now.”
It was far too tempting to tell Paul to call her phone so Cayden could tell her he was alive. Cayden couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind right now if she saw that crash on the news. Even if the news didn’t have his name, Trixie was too smart and knew him too well not to have figured out it was him driving the Raiju.
“I only have maybe another minute with this phone. Patch me through to Lee.”
“Don’t worry about the phone. I’ll wipe the SIM and set it up the same as your old one. You’ll be able to use it freely in just a few.”
Cayden had no idea that was even possible, but he relied on Paul’s knowledge of technology more than he did his own. That was why he’d made Paul his insurance policy. Regardless of the deal he’d made with Lee and the police, Paul had all of the evidence that everything Cayden had done was sanctioned. If something went wrong and the police decided to make Cayden their fall guy, Paul held the proof otherwise.
“What went wrong with the bug?”
“That’s what I would like to know.” Lee’s voice came very close to showing fear. Interesting.
“Easy, big guy. I’m good. I would have told you guys I was planning on bailing out before the bridge, but the earwig went crazy and I had to take it out or risk my eardrum. I didn’t mean for the bike to end up in the water. The locator chip is still in my shoe, but I doubt it’s working.”
“Best I can figure,” Paul said before Lee could, “the kinetic energy the Raiju creates caused some discharge. While the company said the defective model was safe to drive, no one was anticipating you taking it for such a ride. Discharge static was one of the reasons that motorcycle didn’t pass inspection. Mind, this is just an assumption from a computer screen across the state, but that would be my guess. Any electronics on you would have first gotten a full battery charge before they overloaded.”
Cayden thought he followed along with that. While he was trying to pay attention to the conversation, he also had to watch his surroundings. If a state trooper picked him up before Lee got to him, he was screwed.
“Lee, turn right. You’re a block from him.”
Cayden wasn’t surprised Paul had tracked the phone’s location. If he could wipe the memory of the phone, tracking was probably child’s play.
The screeching of tires drew his attention. His mind told him it was Lee based on the timing, but his heart still thumped loudly while his legs braced to run.
The window rolled down. “Get the fuck in the car.”
Cayden raised his eyebrows. “Hello to you too.” He opened up the passenger door of the Charger, even though he was highly tempted to tell Lee to let him drive. Lee’s face almost portrayed his anger. Cayden closed the door, feeling the anxiety roll off of him. “Thanks for your help, Paul.”
“Any time! You guys got me a job where I can do what I love legally and support my family. Anything you need, man. You know that.”
Cayden went to speak, but Lee snapped, “Don’t even think about it. She’s at the station with Holloway. He’ll tell her you’re with me and that I’m bringing you in.”
“No,” Cayden rushed to say. Though he couldn’t see Paul’s face, he was sure it showed more surprise at his word than Lee’s did. Lee just raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think this was Carver. I think someone knew Carver wanted that bike and set up Carver to fail.”
Lee pulled onto the road. “Who?”
“Everyone knows Carver wanted the Raiju, but only a few knew when he was actually going after it.” Cayden made a face. “Even those slated to participate in the auction don’t know it was supposed to be tonight.”
“That still doesn’t answer who.”
Cayden looked over at Trix’s brother. The man drove with confidence, but there was a slight hardening of his lips and stiffness in his shoulders that usually wasn’t there. That did break through Cayden’s dark mood. The man had been worried for Cayden. He resisted the urge to tease the Marine, knowing this wasn’t the time or the place.
“Paul, are you still recording everything on my phone? Have you set up this one yet?”
“It’s not like flipping a switch. I have to go into the OS and make it think it’s a completely different serial number and phone type. Otherwise the manufacturer could still track it down if they wanted to.” There was a pause and then he added, “But once I do, it’ll be the same setup as your old phone.”
“What are you thinking?” Lee asked.
“I’m thinking someone set Carver up,” Cayden said roughly, “and you’re not going to like who’s my main suspect.”
Lee’s hands twitched on the steering wheel. “Massey.” The name came out as a growl.
Cayden nodded. “I think Massey didn’t like the idea of Carver’s auction. If Carver just wanted to keep the motorcycle, Massey wouldn’t have cared, but to auction it off? That’s more Massey’s style than Carver’s. I think Massey thought Carver was stepping on his toes, tipping the scales of their dynamic.”
He heard Paul’s curse on the other end of the phone.
Lee surmised, “Massey called in the tip to keep the motorcycle from Carver.” He hit the steering wheel again. “And he called the state police because he knew someone with Carver was working with us.”
Cayden nodded. “And likely was planning on having it somehow lost or misplaced on its way back to the garage I just took it from. He turned the police into his own heist crew.” Cayden didn’t mention the fact that Massey probably arranged for him to have an accident on his way to lockup too. It was one of those thoughts Cayden just didn’t want to say out loud. Lee was cynical enough to have guessed on his own, but Paul didn’t need to hear it.
“Holloway wants you to come in.”
Cayden shook his head. “If I’m right, Massey just sacrificed one of his knights. Get me to the rendezvous with Carver. Like you said, one way or another, this ends tonight.”
Lee picked up his phone to call Holloway.
It was only late afternoon, but Trixie felt exhausted. She had stripped out of her coveralls, bunching them up to use as a pillow behind her head. The couch itself was comfortable. It was Trixie who was uncomfortable. She felt twitchy, anxious, and itchy. All the muffled noise from outside the room just increased her fears. If there had been a joyous shout, she probably would feel different. But everything outside that door with its tinted glass and the windows with their shades pulled down were like haunting ghosts. She knew they were out there, but she couldn’t make out their words or desires.
When Captain Holloway came back into his office, Trixie stood up so fast off the couch she made herself dizzy. She had to close her eyes to catch her balance. When she opened them, she saw he was holding out a plastic wrapped sub and a can of Coke to her. She accepted them, though she doubted she’d be able to eat. “Thank you.”
“Let’s sit.”
Oh God… She forced herself to breathe through her nose, not trusting her mouth not to scream or vomit if she opened it.
Holloway guided her back down to the couch. She didn’t even notice she sat on her bunched-up coveralls. He reached forward and took one of her shaking hands. “He’s alive.”
Trixie’s entire body shook. She felt like she’d been holding her breath for hours and was finally able to release it. There were no words to describe the relief coursing through her veins following Holloway’s statement. Tears ran freely once more down her cheeks. He offered her a tissue.
She quickly released it. “Thank you. I’m sorry. I just—”
“It’s all right.” He patted her knee and then clasped his hands to rest between his. “Trixie, I’m sure you have questions about what happened. Lee’s still getting a lot of the details from Cayden now. I had told him to bring Cayden back here, but Cayden said no.”
Her head shot up. “What?”
“Easy,” he encouraged. “The call to the state police was a set up, but Cayden doesn’t believe it was Carver’s doing. He thinks it was a powerplay by Massey. We have enough evidence to bring Carver in for the theft, though our goal was to dismantle his drug distribution ring. Cayden is headed to Carver because he thinks he can get Carver to turn state’s evidence on Massey after he learns Massey betrayed him.”
Trixie’s nostrils flared. Relief was now replaced with anger. She stood, unable to remain sitting. “You call him back. You call him back and you tell that arrogant son of a selfish bitch that I said to forget it all. To forget Carver and Massey. Fuck Lee and his crusade. You tell him to get his ass back here right now!”
She hated the placating look Holloway gave her. It did not calm her down. “Trixie, you know as well as I do that Cayden’s not going to let this go. He’s going to finish what he started.”
“He’s going to get himself killed!”
“I will do everything in my power to not let that happen.” He stood up too. “Lee’s not going to let that happen. I have SWAT on standby too. We’ve got all of our bases covered.”
She didn’t like his confidence. Cayden had already dodged one bullet tonight. How many more real bullets were about to come his way?
She turned and vomited, not even making it to the trash can.
